German Foreign Minister met with Lavrov for the first time since 2022
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepuhl personally met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The talks took place on September 26 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting was held behind closed doors without journalists, writes Deutsche Welle.
According to AFP, this was the first personal meeting between the heads of the German and Russian foreign policy departments since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Russian "Interfax", the talks lasted 22 minutes. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the meeting took place at the initiative of the German side. According to TASS, before the talks, the German delegation asked to restrict journalists' access and not record introductory statements.
After the meeting, Wadepuhl and Lavrov were scheduled to address the delegates of the UN General Assembly.
A representative of the German Foreign Ministry told AFP that Wadepuhl, during the conversation, urged Moscow to "abandon the dangerous path of escalation" in relation to Germany, Europe, and NATO. According to the German side, the minister also stated that incidents such as the recent attempt to cause an explosion at Leipzig Airport, for which Berlin accused Russia, as well as other hybrid attacks, will not affect Germany's determination to support Ukraine.
The German side also condemned Russian attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine. An unnamed diplomat stated that these actions do not change Germany's position.
The previous personal meeting between the heads of the German and Russian Foreign Ministries took place in January 2022. At that time, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met with Lavrov less than a month before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At this year's UN General Assembly, Germany is represented by Wadepuhl instead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz did not travel to New York amid internal political pressure following unfavorable election results for his Christian Democratic Union in several federal states.
Among the main topics of the general debate of the UN General Assembly this year are Russia's war against Ukraine, the war between the US and Iran, and the risks associated with the development of artificial intelligence.
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